Anyone that has been following Kettlebell Movement or is plugged in to the culture of fitness probably knows some basic bodyweight exercises. Squats, lunges, bending, twisting pulling and pushing can all be done body weighted and provide great results.
The truth is, that a simple regimen of bodyweight squats, lunges, push ups and pull ups may be all that someone needs to stay strong and flexible. These big bang exercises can provide amazing results if you are consistent, but without much variation, they aren’t a whole lot of fun. Our brains like learning new things and tend to enjoy physical activities that provide some level of mental focus. Performing new exercises will also help you build strength in many different ranges of motion that sticking to the basics cannot.
If you find yourself traveling for the upcoming holiday season, a steady plan using the basic exercises will probably be enough to keep you in top shape.
- Body weighted squats or convict squats for added challenge
- Back, forward, side stepping and rotational lunges
- Inclined, regular or declined pushups (from easiest to hardest).
- Pull ups, if you have a pull up bar, gymnast ring or anything else suitable available.
Perform the most difficult variations that you can do properly and do less reps as opposed to high reps of an easy exercise. Find balance with this concept and also mix it up a bit. For example, high challenge, low reps one day, low challenge high reps another day.
If you want to add some more variation, try these exercises:
Bear crawl, use different patterns, same side movement, opposite side, high hips and also very low crawling.
One leg step up to balance, use a wall or anything to step up onto, you can also do one leg squats, pistol squats and bending exercises to train the ankle and balance.
One arm chin up progressions. I know one arm chin ups are probably a little much but the progressions are quite doable. Use both hands for your pull up as usual but act as though you are only pulling with one. Pull your chin to the fist and let the other arm just help out, switch with every rep.
Rock bottom squatting. Many people lack the hip flexibility to find a resting spot at the bottom of a squat, I encourage you to build that strength. Find your deepest squat and stay there, sit your hips down and keep your back as flat as possible and your feet flat on the ground.
Handstands. There are tons of ways to build up this strength, using a wall or starting with headstands, this exercise will send your nervous system into overdrive, scrambling to stabilize your body in a new way.
There are infinite ways to move your body with no more equipment than the ground you walk on. There is also a certain grace that comes with mastering movement of your own body.
Personally, being tall and long limbed, I struggle to do things that gymnasts are able to do but also get a huge kick out of the challenge. I am constantly using my rings, walls and floor to push myself into new comfort zones. No matter what your story is, there’s always a way to keep moving even if you are short in time, ideas or equipment.
